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And most people won't become nurses or respiratory therapists or nutritionists either.

That does not, however, mean that there isn't room for people in the healthcare sector with skills and talents that at first glance might seem better suited to a business environment or construction site than to a job in health care.

Alberta Health Services currently has about 1,000 job openings province-wide, for example, and corporate, administrative support and facility operations positions account for about 39 per cent of those job openings.

The organization employs a wide range of professionals in a number of departments for positions including communications, finance, human resources, information technology, legal and privacy, staff scheduling and capital planning.

The healthcare sector is a great place to find challenging and rewarding positions for people with all kinds of skill sets, says Angela Girban, manager of talent support strategies for AHS, who herself comes from the energy sector.

Girban spent most of her career in the energy industry in Europe and came over to Canada on assignment with a large energy company several years ago.

An executive search professional attempted to recruit Girban to the public sector, but at first she had some reservations.

"I had never worked in the public sector, and I wasn't sure I would enjoy it, so it did take me some time to accept the position, but once I met the people I would be working with, within the first few weeks I realized I should have been here all along," says Girban.

Her colleague, Denise Moroz, a senior adviser in recruitment with AHS, also began her career in completely different field - a landscape architect in a parks and recreation department, she changed careers when her children went to school, and their vacation coincided with her peak season.

She returned to school at the University of Calgary to earn her certificate in human resources management.

Moroz has actually enjoyed several different careers within the healthcare system, and has worked as a scheduler, a prenatal educator and in human resources and recruitment.

"If you're the kind of person who likes change and likes the ability to increase your scope of practice, then this is a great field," says Moroz.

"You can have so many different careers and can also make changes to suit your lifestyle or the needs of your family along the way."

For instance, she says people are really not confined to geographic locations and can easily move from urban to rural settings, or from one kind of healthcare facility to another, depending on their interests.

Positions in the field generally offer competitive salaries, premium benefits, flexible hours and opportunities for learning and career advancement.

Corporate positions comprise about nine per cent of the workforce in the case of AHS, and administrative support positions including unit clerks and clerical support make up about 10 per cent.

Facility operations including tradespeople, power engineers, housekeeping and laundry staff account for about 20 per cent of the workforce.

Moroz says that people who work in the healthcare sector tend to be people with the ability to bring a good attitude to their position regardless of whether their jobs are in the medical field, the administrative side or in an area like maintenance.

"Often in health care, even if you're not working directly with patients, you're around patients or people who aren't at their very best, so a positive attitude and good energy are necessary," says Moroz. "I think that's what makes for a great work environment, because everyone we work with has such a great outlook and positivity."

It also offers a career with a good deal of stability and great prospects, since people are in need of healthcare services regardless of economic shifts or other changes in the world.

The industry is still cyclical, says Girban, but there will always be a need, especially as the baby boomer population continues to age and the population of the city continues to grow.

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